Computer systems use cabling in order to transmit and receive information between peripherals, systems, users, sensors, etc. This cabling can take on many forms, including Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet, coaxial, optical, etc. When large amounts of data and information is desired to be transmitted between two devices, Ethernet cabling is typically used. For even more data transmission capability, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) may be used along with Ethernet cables.
FCoE is a transport protocol that enables Fibre Channel (FC) to be encapsulated and transmitted over Ethernet while being independent of the Ethernet forwarding scheme. FCoE allows seamless integration of Ethernet cabling with existing FC networks, hardware, and management software.
Ethernet is typically deployed in Server farms, data centers, large enterprise users, etc., for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networks and FC is typically deployed for Storage Area Networks (SANs). FCoE typically can use two types of cables, copper cables and optical cables.
Copper cables for use with FCoE have different characteristics than optical cables for use with FCoE, and selecting which cable type to use in any given installation can be troublesome. For example, it may be difficult to determine whether copper cabling can handle the distance and data throughput required for a specific application. In another example, it may be difficult to determine if the cable itself has gone bad or if another device (such as a router, server, hub, etc.) in series has gone bad as opposed to the cable.
In medium to large sized hardware installations, there can be anywhere from thousands of feet of cables to miles of cables installed. Much of this installed cabling is, sometimes purposely, not easily accessible, e.g., it is behind walls, in ceilings, under floors, in bundles, etc. The purpose behind making this cabling inaccessible is that it is out of the way and does not obstruct other uses of the spaces, where the cabling might be installed and be accessible, along with a reduction in exposure of the cables to environmental factors. Another reason for installing the cabling in inaccessible areas is that the cabling, in many cases, needs to connect two or more remote systems, thereby allowing transmission between those systems, and these connections cannot be made in areas where environmental factors might disrupt, disconnect, or otherwise harm the cables or obstruct normal use of these areas. Note that for FCoE copper cables, they are typically available in 1 m, 3 m, or 5 m lengths and are generally used to connect to Top of Rack FCoE Fibre Channel Forwarders (FCFs). The FCoE copper cables are typically run within the racks and not under floors or behind walls.
Unfortunately, providing cabling in inaccessible or difficult to access areas also prevents maintenance from being performed on the cabling with any relative case. Cables, although not frequently, do fail and become less efficient at data transmission over time. Cables may also become disconnected, terminated, shorted, severed, or otherwise ineffective at transmitting information. In these cases, when a cable is to be tested to determine if it is transmitting information at an acceptable rate, it would be beneficial to have a method and/or system which can test these cables without requiring access to the entire run of the cable.